Sharing space in Newark

Alexandra Pais/Special to The Star-Ledger Newark school Superintendent Cami Anderson

Both are public schools in Newark. Both need low-cost space for students. One has extra, unused classrooms, while the other has a long waiting list for few available seats.

So it makes perfect sense to co-locate a fast-growing charter school within the half-empty building of a traditional district school. As in any large building full of students, what matters most is management — that school leaders coordinate well.

Cami Anderson, Newark’s new superintendent, notes that the city’s public schools have as many as 10,000 empty seats, while the cost of maintaining their underutilized buildings has risen. The district could save $4.1 million in operating costs next year by renting the unused space to charter schools, she says. It’s a win-win situation: The district saves money and earns rent, while charters can offer up to 1,400 more seats to students.

Not every co-location makes sense, and no doubt community reaction can lead to some adjustments. But the principle here is a sensible one.

Co-location has worked before in Newark. About five years ago, North Star Academy Charter School moved in with half the student body from Elliott Street, a conventional district school. For several years, the schools rented space in the same local church, sharing an auditorium, a cafeteria and other facilities. Their two principals met frequently to review dismissal schedules and events, and it worked out just fine, said Carlos Lejnieks, then an administrator at North Star.